1.     Deuteronomy 29 contains God’s covenant with Israel regarding the Promised Land (cf. 29:1).  Verse 29 seems to have been added as a solemn admonition by the Spirit of God. 

2.     The Israelites were commanded to keep the words of the covenant (29:9).   Those who kept the words of the covenant would be blessed; those who did not would be cursed (29:18-28).

3.     Notice that the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is given as a warning of the judgment of God (cf. 29:23).  The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is referred to many times in the Bible (including nine times in the NT).  It is always given as a warning of the sure judgment of God.

I. SECRET THINGS (29:29)

1.     Certainly God has kept much of His counsel secret from men, but most of the things in the Bible are not difficult to understand.

2.     The great skeptic Mark Twain said, “It ain’t the parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me; it’s the parts that I do understand.”

3.     D.L. Moody told the story of an English Army officer in India who had been living an impure life.  One evening he got into a conversation with the chaplain, and he said to the chaplain: “Religion is all very well, but you must admit that there are some difficulties – about the miracles, for instance.”  The chaplain knew the man and his immoral lifestyle, and looked him in the eye.  He said quietly, “Yes, there are some things in the Bible that are difficult to understand.  But the seventh commandment is very plain.”

4.     We will consider the plain things in a few minutes.  But what about “the secret things” (Deut. 29:29)?

5.     Man is limited in his knowledge.   God is omniscient – God knows all things – but man is limited.

6.     Many Bible teachers see here a contrast between the OT and the NT (cf. I Cor. 2:9-16).

7.     There is a big difference between the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the OT and in the NT.   Our Lord said in John 14:16, 17, “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:16, 17).

8.     Then in John 14:26, Jesus said, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things…”

9.     Our Lord said in John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.”  Not just “some truth,” but all truth.

10. One preacher put it this way: “It is the Holy Spirit who unlocks for us the wonders of the Word” (John Phillips, Exploring the Epistles of John, p. 74).

11. The RCC boasts of its “infallible” popes.  But their popes have erred time and time again.  Just recently this new pope Benedict has admitted that there is no such place as “limbo.”   The RCC invented “limbo” during the Dark Ages, and for over 1,000 years “infallible” popes have taught it.  Now along comes a new “infallible” pope admitting it was all a hoax!

12. The Catholic Encyclopedia defines “limbo” as that state wherein the souls of unbaptized children and adults, who die without committing grievous actual sin are excluded from heaven.

13. Thank God, we have the indwelling, infallible Holy Spirit.  Therefore, we do not need a pope.  And we have an infallible Bible!

14. Consider I John 2:20, “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.”  This “unction” refers to the anointing of the Holy Spirit, which takes place at conversion.

15. Obviously this does not mean that Christians possess unlimited knowledge.  Only God possesses unlimited knowledge. What this does mean is that the indwelling Holy Spirit will guide us into truth as it is revealed to us through God’s Word.

16. Our Lord said in John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth.”

17. These are our two safeguards – the Holy Spirit and the Holy Bible.  The Holy Spirit without the Bible leads to fanaticism and error.  The Bible without the Holy Spirit leads to deadness and intellectualism.  There are ditches on both sides of the road!

18. The Holy Spirit will guide us away from error and apostasy.  Then why do some Christians fall away?  First of all, some were never genuinely saved in the first place (cf. I John 2:19).

19. Secondly, some Christians may be saved but they are stubborn and proud.  They have grieved the Holy Spirit and forged ahead on the path to destruction, despite God’s gracious intervention.

20. Before moving on, let me stress what our Lord said in the Gospel of John.  In John 7:16 & 17, Jesus said, “My doctrine is not mine, but His that sent me.  If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.”

21. So God will not reveal anything to us unless we are doing His will.  Jesus said in John 10:27, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

22. Are you following Jesus?

II. REVEALED THINGS (DEUT. 29:29)

1.     Some people are preoccupied with the secret things, but we should be studying the revealed things.  There are plenty of “revealed things” in God’s Word – 66 books, 39 in the OT and 27 in the NT.

2.     Some preachers specialize in fantastical sermons and strange visions and weird teachings.  Harry Ironside used to say, “If it is new then it is not true, and if it is true than it is not new.”

3.     I heard a true story about a big meeting, and a certain preacher was preaching a strange message on Bible prophecy.  He was going into great details regarding the ten horns of the scarlet colored beast.  On the platform were two other preachers, one old and one young.  The older one leaned over to the young one and whispered, “When you get up to preach, preach the Gospel.”

4.     I’m afraid too many preachers are not preaching the Gospel.  The apostle Paul said, “Yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!” (I Cor. 9:16).

5.     We should study and preach and teach “the revealed things” – the substitutionary death of Christ, the resurrection of Christ, the second coming of Christ.

6.     We should study and preach on prayer, on soulwinning, and on tithing.

7.     We should study and preach on the new birth, on the Spirit-filled life, on victory over sin, and the need for revival.

8.      We should study and preach on heaven and hell.  There are plenty of things that God has revealed to us (Deut. 29:29).

III. THINGS TO DO (DEUT. 29:29)

1.     “…that we may do all the words of this law” (29:29).

2.     Our Lord said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.  And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Matthew 7:24-27).

3.     Let me ask you – are you a wise man (“and doeth them”) or are you a foolish man (“and doeth them not”)?

4.     James 1:22 says, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” 

5.     Many people are deceived.  They go to church and hear good preaching and think they are good preaching – but they are only “hearers” of the Word.  They are not doers (cf. Ezek. 33:30, 31).

6.     I have often wondered – what if every person who came to church went out and became “doers of the Word, and not hearers only”?

·        After hearing preaching on soulwinning, they went out and won someone to Christ.

·        After hearing preaching on repentance, they repented.

·        After hearing preaching on prayer, they started praying.

·        After hearing preaching on stewardship, they started tithing and giving to missionaries.

·        After hearing preaching on holiness, they stopped their worldly ways and got right with God.

7.     There is a phrase that I have not yet emphasized, but will now – “to our children for ever” (Deut. 29:29).   I am concerned about our young people. 

8.     Too many young people attend church with their parents but drift away when they get older.  The things of God belong to us “and to our children…” (29:29).

9.     Parents, if prayer and the Bible and church are not very important to you, then they probably will not be very important to your children.

10. Parents, if you skip church whenever you feel like it, you are pushing your children closer and closer to the devil.

11. Add to this: the rotten public schools, all the dirty garbage and junk on TV, the nasty vulgar rap and rock music – and your child is on the fast track to hell.

CONCLUSION:

1.     Spurgeon said that sermons run through some hearers “like water through a sieve…There is no sin in having a bad memory, but there is a great sin in refusing at once to obey the Gospel.”

2.     I wonder what things God has showed you this morning.  And I wonder how many here will act upon what they have heard.

3.     And I wonder how many will let it go in one ear and out the other.